Dear Project Phoenix community,

Hello, from St. Louis!

Myself, along with Project Phoenix team members Dr. Allison Shultz and Dr. Morgan Tingley, traveled to Missouri this week to share our research at the annual meeting of the American Ornithological Society. Today we participated in a symposium all about how wildfire smoke impacts birds! That’s actually why this newsletter is a little late – I just got back to my hotel after an incredible day meeting with ornithologists from all across the country who are tackling this important research question in different and exciting ways. We’ll share more about the conference next week!

I also wanted to share with you all that I have a new job! Don’t worry – I’ll still be leading Project Phoenix this year, and we are exploring funding opportunities to establish this program as a long-term monitoring effort outside of the context of my postdoctoral research. I wrapped up my postdoc on Friday, and starting this week, I began my new position as U.S. leader of Project FeederWatch, a wintertime bird monitoring program run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada. You can learn more about Project FeederWatch here. In this new role, I manage all aspects of this decades-long participatory science initiative, including volunteer recruitment and retention, review of flagged records, and data analysis. I will also have the academic freedom to continue my work exploring how wildfire smoke impacts the birds we love.

More soon! Happy birding, all!

Sincerely,

Olivia

Olivia Sanderfoot, Ph.D. | Program Director, Project Phoenix

BIRD OF THE WEEK: Black Phoebe

The Black Phoebe is an adorable black tyrant flycatcher with a stark white belly. Phoebes are found throughout the Southwestern U.S. and Mexico, and they are observed in a wide variety of habitats, from ponds and lakes to suburban areas. One key behavior that you are likely to observe in Black Phoebes is sallying. When sallying, a bird quickly flies from a perch, catches (or attempts to catch) an insect in mid-air, then returns to their original perch. Other behaviors you might observe in Black Phoebes include tail wagging (bobbing their tails up and down while perched) and hovering (briefly flying in place as they hunt for insects). Aside from visual cues, Black Phoebes are easily identified by their distinctive calls. They make a whistling call that can sound like “Phoebe! Phoebe!”

A fun fact about Black Phoebes is that they love being near water. Next time you turn on the sprinklers, be on the look out for Black Phoebes on the hunt!

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT:

Meena Montemayor

Meena is a licensed clinical social worker with the Los Angeles Unified School District. She began to take notice of birds in December, when a group of birds flew from tree to tree in her neighborhood in Long Beach, piquing her interest. After hearing about Project Phoenix in The Los Angeles Times, Meena eagerly signed up to volunteer. Afterward, Meena reports that she “felt the world opened up in ways she had never seen before.” She has especially enjoyed witnessing some truly remarkable hummingbird behaviors!

In her free time, Meena traverses the sea via canoe on a six-member competitive outrigger team, called Kahakai. She encourages anyone in the area who might be interested to try out the sport this fall and winter. 

Meena says participating in Project Phoenix has helped her learn more about herself, and that she believes that “connecting with animals and nature make me feel wonder, amazement, and love for these creatures that effortlessly support Mother Earth.”

If you are interested in connecting with Meena about birds or about Kahakai, feel free to email her. Thank you for volunteering for Project Phoenix and for sharing your story with us, Meena!

Looking to get more involved in Project Phoenix?

JOIN OUR TEAM OF REVIEWERS

Are you a self-proclaimed “bird nerd”? Do you love sharing your bird knowledge with others? Are you keen to help us ensure that the data collected by Project Phoenix is top notch?

We are inviting experienced birders on our team to help us support eBird reviewers and ensure that the checklists submitted by our amazing volunteers are of the highest quality. Help us review rare and unusual birds reported for our study to ensure that these species IDs are accurate. If you are interested in joining this effort, please fill out this form so we can connect with you.

SHARE YOUR STORY

We love to hear from our volunteers! What motivated you to join Project Phoenix? Click here to share your story as a volunteer spotlight.

Events Calendar

(Bird) Trivia Night!

Join us TOMORROW, Friday, August 15th at 6 p.m. for a virtual bird-themed trivia night! Come hang out, meet other volunteers, and show off your knowledge of birds and other topics in ecology and conservation! Sign up here.

Intro to Backyard Birds Workshop

New to birding? Having trouble identifying birds during your surveys? Looking for a refresher on the common birds in your backyard? Join us on Friday, August 29th at 6 p.m. to learn all about our neighborhood birds. We’ll share our favorite tips for birding and get you up to speed on identifying all the cool species you might be seeing around your home. Sign up here.

OFFICE HOURS

Do you have a question about our survey protocol? Are you struggling to use eBird? Feeling a little lost on species ID? Come chat with us! Our team hosts virtual office hours upon request. Just send us an email at projectphoenix.socal@gmail.com, and we’ll set up a time to chat on Zoom.

Follow us on Instagram @projectphoenix_socal and join our new Slack for more content on birds and Project Phoenix!